January Always Leaves a Memory

It was five years ago this week that Brian and I realized God wanted us to marry.  Literally, it all happened in one quick week.  In 8 short days in January 2007, I celebrated my 24th birthday then went from single to engaged, and just two months later, I was married.  Seriously, I cannot put into words how thankful I am for that January.  It was one of the greatest months of my life, and it is still one I cherish.  I don't think Brian and I could have EVER imagined how much we would be handed in the years that followed.

I'll spare the details of our past five years, but this January has become one I'll never forget.  Just a week ago, when Brian and I were discussing what I'd like to do for my 29th birthday, our 20-month-old became a bit sick.  He was coughing and breathing heavily.  I took him to the pediatrician on a Thursay, just 4 days before my birthday.  The outcome wasn't one to celebrate.  In fact, the doctor believed he was in the beginning stages of pneumonia and quite possibly had strep throat.  Samuel was so hysterical in the office that she decided not to swab him.  He was put on a strong, 10-day antibiotic. 

Just two days later, my breathing became shallow, difficult, and burned.  I feared that I too, 23 weeks pregnant, had gotten pneumonia as well.  We landed in the ER on Saturday, January 21st, the day before my birthday.  After bloodwork, respiratory bloodwork, an EKG, breathing treatment, and a breathing treatment, I was diagnosed with bronchitis.  I was sent home with a 5-day antiobiotic, inhaler, and cough medicine.  Needless to say, I missed my own birthday.  :)  I slept at home on the couch while the boys went to Mimi's house and Brian went to church. 

At my follow-up appointment on Tuesday, I knew I hadn't improved.  My breathing was still awful, and I couldn't quit coughing.  Sure enough, it had worsened into an asthmatic breathing.  SO, I was going home on daily breathing treatments, up to 4 times a day. 

That afternoon, when I picked the boys up from Mother's Day Out, Daniel's teacher told me he had coughed all through the day.  I, suspecting the worse, immediately called the pediatrician and Mimi, and we headed to the office.  Thankfully, it was only a cold.  However, the next day, I realized Daniel was worse.  He was coughing uncontrollably.  He just couldn't stop.  I gave him his inhaler and a breathing treatment.  I even gave him some Tylenol when I loaded him in the van to head to church.  He kept saying, "I can't not breath.  Please take care of me, Mommy."  I guessed he was so whiny due to no nap that Wednesday afternoon.

When we arrived at church, I realized it was inevitable.  Either Daniel's asthma was REALLY working against him or he was really sick.  His body was hot.  I gave him Motrin, hoping it would take care of the heat, but when Daniel wasn't willing to play in the nursery and clinged to me, I knew it was sickness.  Throughout the night, his temperature continued to rise, and despite doses of Tylenol and Motrin, the fever would not go below 102.  Thursday, we headed to the pediatrician.  He had not eaten since lunch on Wednesday, and it was very little.  Getting him to drink had also become difficult.  His cough was awful and his fever was high. 

They tested for flu, which came back negative, and they also tested for RSV, which was positive.  He was given a breathing treatment, but the wheezing continued on his right side.  Daniel and I were sent to get a chest x-ray, fearing pneumonia.  However, the results were clear, and he was prescribed steroids, breathing treatments 4 times a day, and Tylenol.  With RSV, we can only treat symptoms; the virus itself has to run its course. 

January 2012 has proved itself fairly memorable.  I haven't had my Red Robin birthday burger yet, but I imagine that won't be what I'll remember about this month.  It will be the precious, quiet and scary moments with my sick self and children.  More importantly, I'll know I was blessed five years ago with the beginning of this beautiful life I've been given despite its sicknesses and sorrows.

My First Name, Really

For whatever reason, my two toddlers have turned from calling me, "Mommy," to "Jenna."  It doesn't really bother me; in fact, it actually makes me laugh.  I almost cannot take them seriously when they do so.  I find it hard to look in the face of a 2 year old who has just said, "Jenna, listen here.  I need your help."  It's also quite difficult when a 1 year old says, "Jenna, help me."  They repeat it until I answer.

I think this has hit home for me in light of the fact that God knows me by name as well.  He speaks to me so many times, and yet it takes His calling my name out for me to pay attention to His voice.  How many times does it take for us to listen when God is calling our names?  I want to answer when He calls.  I don't want Him to have to repeat Himself.  I want to come ready.

I need to do the same for my children.  They  have somehow learned that "Jenna" is what I answer to.  Maybe it's because I laugh, but they know they can get my attention by calling me the name everyone else they know calls me.  What a beautiful picture these two boys have painted for me!  They know that Mommy will answer to her name.  Does she listen when God speaks it?!

32 and 33.

Daniel is a whopping 33 months old this month, and last month, when he turned 32 months, was so busy that I failed to update on his progress and changes.  So, without further adieu, here are Daniel's 32nd and 33rd month posts in one.

In His 32nd Month, Daniel:
Weighed 33 lbs.
Wore a size 8.5 or 9 in shoes.
Was in size 5 diapers.
Wore size 3T in clothes. 
Wore some 2T but they were getting 2Tight.
Was more rambunctious than I can explain.
Loved Christmas tree decorating.
The tree's jingle bells made him so happy.
Had the honor of placing the "Crown of Thorns" on our tree.
Loved Christmas lights, especially the neighbor's nativity scene.
Always recognized called baby Jesus, "God-Jesus."
Thought Santa was a snowman.  Thank goodness.
Spent a few hours in the ER in early December.
Climbed the counter, opened the cough syrup bottle, and drank it.
Shared some with little brother, Samuel.
Mom called poison control who said ER was a must.
Peed in a little bag for his urine sample.
Quite exciting for a 2 1/2 year old.
Got lots of snacks (and laughts) from the doctors and nurses.
Was sent home with no problems at all.
Really liked to open presents.
Liked opening everyone else's gifts as well.
Was great about saying, "Please" and "Thank you."
Was diagnosed with a small heart murmur.
No worries, as it will come and go around the age of 3.
Loved eating apples without the peels.
Missed being in Mother's Day Out.
Liked to party.
Always wanted to watch a dvd.
Still scared of alligators and sharks when going to bed.
SUPER frightened by the dark.

"I can't not like my picture."

Cheese!

In His 33rd Month, Daniel:
Was 32 lbs.  Got a cold and lost some weight.
Still the same size in diapers and clothes.
Went to see Opryland Hotel on Christmas Eve.
Really liked seeing the lights and Shrek.
Told us he "needed" milkshakes.
Ice Cream was his favorite snack.
Loved presents. 
Couldn't wait for Christmas, though he didn't know what it was.
Liked to pretend to wrap everything.
Thought he should get a present every day.
Favorite gifts were his tricycle and dvds.
OH, and he loved the Buzz and Woody toys.
Liked paper airplanes and making things "Pop."
Big on the sound of "popping."
Looked so handsome on Christmas day.
Told everyone he was wearing a train shirt.
Would wake every morning and from every nap, exclaiming,
"I DID IT!"
Recognized all his body parts.  ALL of them.
Could recognize colors:  black, blue, red, green, yellow, etc.
Wasn't great with them but give him Thomas trains,
and he could tell you exactly what color each was.
Could count 1-10, but always missed 4.
Started telling us with his fingers how old he was.
Still not potty trained,
but hated dirty diapers and being wet.
Was concerned where his friends lived.
Would tell us he wanted to see them all the time.
Prayed over his meals...  "God is great, thank you, God."
Was very quick about doing so.
Long-winded prayers were not his style!
Had SUCH an attitude.
For example, popular phrases of his "attitude" include:

• "That's fair!" meaning that's not fair.
• "I can't like that."
• "I stay here...  by myself!" when it was time to leave.
• "I the boss, Mom."
• "Jenna, listen.  Look at me."
• "I got a problem."
• "Fix it, now."

Favorite snack was gummies.
Favorite song was "What a Mighty God."
Missed New Year's by 30 minutes...
Fell asleep on the couch with Mommy.
Loved to be praised.
Did NOT like to be laughed at or with.
LOVED snow.  Would stay out in it for hours...
despite the cold weather.
Could answer Bible story questions really well.
Had a hard time sitting still in Sunday school.
Liked painting and coloring.
Asked for the "Diesels" a lot - a Thomas movie.
Spent the night at Mimi's all by himself.
Asked, "What's your name?" all the time.
Always answered with, "My name is Daniel Benjamin."

Laughing at his paper airplane hitting the fan.

Christmas Eve at Opryland = Big Smiles

"Cheesing" at Church on Christmas morning

Big Kid riding his gift from Grandpa.

Loves dressing his magnetic man, Jack.

Saying "Bye" to Daddy before spending the night with Mimi

He and his friends from Toy Story were having a talk.

Less than an hour away from 2012...

Mommy and Daniel could NOT stay awake!

Samuel's 19th and 20th Months

Since I missed Samuel's monthly post in December and it is now January, I figured I could combine two months in one post...

In His 19th Month, Samuel:
Weighed 24 lbs.
Wore size 4 diapers.
Could wear size 5 and 5 1/2 extra wide shoes.
Began wearing some 12-18 month clothes.
Really liked putting up the Christmas tree.
His favorite decor was jingle bells.
Spent a few hours in the ER early in December.
Had gotten a drink of Mommy's cough medicine from big brother.
It had hydrocodone in it.
Particularly loved the snacks in the ER...
popsicles, graham crackers, peanut butter, and others.
Did not like rain or cold weather.
Did not appreciate having to wear a jacket.
Hated riding in a stroller.
Was becoming quite independent.
Loved watching and playing with Elmo toys.
Sports balls were his favorite toys.
Had lots of fun at the church Christmas fellowship.
Got a lot of gifts from sweet friends during the month.
Visited the Opryland Hotel on Christmas Eve.

Playing with the trumpet from the Christmas tree.

Picture with brother and Daddy.

 

Sweet cheeks with Daniel and Mommy.

Riding on Daddy's shoulders at Opryland.

Family at Opryland

In His 20th Month, Samuel:
Wore mostly 12-18 month clothes.
Would eat all day long.
Always said, "I hungee."
Frequently asked question was, "What you doin'?"
Talked up a storm.  Honestly, sentences and questions galore!
Used the word, "Yeah," all the time.
Celebrated Christmas in many different houses.
Loved playing with "Atalie" over the holidays.
Really liked the grill and food Mimi got him.
Thought he could climb and fly.
Loved jumping off the coffee table...
pretending to be Buzz Lightyear.
Would say, "And beyond!"
Thanks to Christmas gifts from Aunt Ca and Mema.
Slept through the New Year ball drop.
Liked to spin in circles.
Found out he'd be having a baby brother!
Started liking Thomas the train. 
Loved pretending to scare people.
Was quite animated and like to make us laugh.
Could name most all of his body parts.
Recognized the colors, blue, yellow, and green.
Could count 1-3.  Sometimes 4 and 5.
Liked singing the last words of songs.
Clapped for songs he liked.
Was very verbal about what he wanted.
Was still so sweet and loved to be hugged.
Didn't like wearing socks.
Loved wearing pajamas.
Moved from his crib to his new toddler bed.
Made spaghetti his favorite food.
Really liked snacking on raisins and oyster crackers.
Loved, loved fruits like strawberries, grapes, and bananas.
Did not like eating ground beef or soup.
Favorite drink was chocolate (milk).
Disliked juice for the most part.
Began throwing tantrums and hitting back.
Was scared of spankings.
Was not frightened by the dark.
Called Mommy by her first name.
Told us when he wanted to go night-night.
Really liked snow, but didn't like the coldness of it.

"It's Elmo, Mommy.  See?!"

Where's the camera, Samuel?

"What are you eating, buddy?"

"Cancakes."

Someone wanted to make a guess on what his baby brother would be!  Samuel grabbed the food coloring, spilled it on the floor, and walked right through it.

"Samuel, are you excited about your big bed?"

"Yeah."

Baby Johnson #3 Announcement

So, this was the surprise we received on Sunday, September 11th, 2011.

And, just 3 and a half months later, 

it was time to figure out a way to surprise the family

with the baby's gender.

Jenna made cookies... 

She made her guess on the baby's gender

 just a day before the big ultrasound!

 

The only reason she guessed boy was because

all of the girl cookies ended up like this... 

Jenna had thought girl all along due to such a different pregnancy.

She's been sick the entire twenty weeks thus far.

She's extremely tired and exhausted.

She's the most hormonal she's EVER been.

These were the surprises Jenna prepared for Brian and the family... 

"Boy or Girl, it will be so sweet.

To know for sure, enjoy this treat."

After the ultrasound, Jenna headed downtown

to share the gender news with Brian. 

Wearing blue for his vote, he opened his cookie to find... 

BLUE!

Baby BOY Johnson #3 will arrive on or before May 21, 2012.

And just so you know, big brothers will share their 3rd and 2nd birthdays with a joint party this year in APRIL due to the fact that brother #3 is due just two days before Samuel's birthday.

Big and Behind

I cannot believe how big Daniel and Samuel are getting.  It literally is flashing before my eyes!  Today, Samuel was sitting on Daniel's tricycle, when out of nowhere, he yells out, "Jenna.  Wha're you doin'?"  First off, he is completing sentences at 19 months old.  Secondly, my baby is calling me by my first name!  Now, that is big!  He will even say, "I big!"

As for being behind, I just noticed that the boys are now 32 months and 19 months old.  Wow! 

In terms of being big and behind, I'd be lying if I wasn't talking about myself some.  At 21 weeks with Baby #3, it's quite inevitable!  :) 

List of Latest Words

Samuel's List of Latest Words

• No
• Towel
• Baf (bath)
• Yeah
• Coc-late (chocolate milk)
• Go
• Bye
• I hungee (hungry)
• Cookie
• Cwacker
• Cake
• Eat
• Mommy.
• Daddy.
• Danyule
• Baby
• Car
• Twactor (tractor)
• Diaper
• What're you doin'?
• I wanna _____ (insert what he wants as for food, drink, or to do).
• Night night.
• Yeah.
• No, Mom.  No, Dad.
• I pee-pee.
• Baz-ball.  (basketball)
• Biscuit.

Daniel's List of Latest Words

• What are you doing?
• Where are you going?
• Please, I want more.
• Please, give me more.
• I want a sandmich.
• I want butter jelly now.
• I love you.
• That's blue.
• I riding my bike.
• Samuel eat my apple.  Samuel hit me.  Samuel pushed me.
• Here you go, Dad.
• I a big kid.
• What's your name?
• I Daniel Benjamin.
• Awesome.  Amazing. 
• It got dropped.  It dropping down.
• The gate shut down there.
• telling scene from Toy Story 3...  The bridge broke.  The bridge on fire.  Oh no, the train is down.  Oh, no.  It's Buzz!  Buzz got the train! 
• Turn that back on!  Turn that t.v. back on! 
• Mimi play "Joy, Joy" on the piano.
• Ta Da!  I did it!
• I sleep in my bed.  All by myself.
• I wanna go.